1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to apparatus and methods for autologous blood transfusion.
2. The Prior Art
Homologous blood transfusion is the well-known technique of collecting blood from a donor and thereafter storing the blood for later infusion into another patient. For many years, homologous blood transfusion has been the standard technique for replacing a patient's blood after surgery, obstetrical complications, traumatic hemorrhage and the like.
Homologous blood transfusion has evidenced a number of serious complications. For example, frequently elective surgical procedures must be postponed because of the unavailability of compatible homologous blood. In smaller towns and cities, there is frequently a lack of qualified donors. Also in larger metropolitan areas, there is a great need for quantities of blood to cover trauma situations and the increasing number of elective major surgical procedures. It is well-known that homologous blood must be cross matched to ascertain compatibility before the homologous blood is administered to a patient. Cross matching is an expensive and time consuming procedure and is not always effective in detecting blood incompatibility.
At present, the most serious complication due to homologous blood transfusion is post-transfusion hepatitis. The National Heart and Lung Institute has reported hundreds of deaths and thousands of cases of incapacitating illness resulting from post-transfusion hepatitis. Other complications, well-known in homologous blood transfusion, include isoimmunization, transmission of disease, incompatibility, hemolytic reactions and over transfusion.
These problems are substantially circumvented through the technique of autologous blood transfusion. Autologous transfusion is defined as the reinfusion of the patient's own blood. The desirability of autologous transfusion has been acknowledged for many years. Structure accommodating autologous transfusion is disclosed in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,608. Until this present invention, however, no structure and method has been known which would accommodate reinfusion of a patient's blood without interrupting the ability to simultaneously collect the blood. Further, until this present invention, no prior art is known which provides a sterile, closed extracorporeal blood circuit for collecting the patient's blood and reinfusing the blood back into the patient.